Syrian refugees struggle to survive in Lebanon

Kitty Logan reports from Lebanon on how refugees fleeing the war in Syria are
struggling to stay alive in a country where jobs and money are scarce

Words by Kitty Logan and Janna Hamilton, video by Kitty Logan

9:12PM GMT 22 Nov 2013

A new Oxfamreport released this week shows the harsh economic struggle facing refugees who have fled the fighting in Syriato Lebanon.

More than three quarters of them are deep in debt and have little prospects for the future.

Ali Ahmaz delivers to the villages of Lebanon's Bekaa valley every morning. Many of his new customers are the thousands of Syrian refugees, who have settled in tents near the roadside.

One of those new clients is Fares Jasem, who fled the the Syrian city of Aleppo two years ago. His family collect bread from Mr Ahmaz daily. But they cannot pay for it. Instead, Mr Ahmaz writes up the bill as credit in a large battered notebook. The family owe him almost £200 just for bread.

Back at home in Aleppo, Mr Jasem had a farm to sustain his family, but over the border in Lebanon life is far more costly and there are limited opportunities to earn a living.

The influx of Syrian refugees has pushed rents up and forced them out of an apartment and into a tent.

Despite the sacrifice in living standards, the family still have no means to manage. They now depend on the kindness of Lebanese business owners, such as Mr Ahmaz.

"They are all nice people and when you don't have money, they give things to you on credit," said Mr Fares, who owes £190 for bread alone, "regardless of how long it takes for you to repay them".

Syrians refugees are also finding it tough to earn more cash. Mr Fares' daughters help out harvesting the last of the tobacco crop, but this seasonal work is almost over for the year and wages are extremely low.

Even the younger children work in the fields, or play in the dusty camp, as school is another cost the family cannot afford. Many other Syrian refugee children are missing out on education.

“They can't see how it's going to improve any time soon. They want a decent roof over their heads. They want to be able to feed their children without worrying about the debt. They want to be able to send their children back to school. They want to be able to look after themselves again and have a decent life.”

To read the report and for more information about Oxfam's response visit: www.oxfam.org.uk